23Jan / 2012

B’s Beauty: The Line’s the Limit—”Fluidline” by M.A.C.

I happened upon a colleague applying “Fluidline” by M.A.C. in the bathroom at work one day, and I watched in awe as she exercised a technical dexterity that I thought I could only dream of. Thank heavens I was wrong.

“Fluidline” by M.A.C. is a gel formula liner that comes in a small glass pot that you then apply with a makeup brush. In fact, it’s as easy—if not easier—to apply than a regular liquid liner. It’s smooth and silky, not wet and uneven as liquid liners often are. Since with the long makeup brush you have good control, you can flick to your heart’s content: thick, thin, long, short, wings, v-shapes…if you want it, you can draw it. In no time you’ll feel like a professional makeup artist or simply an artist: the world (OK, maybe just your face) is your canvas.

The pots cost £14 each and a brush will run you about £16—it’s not an insignificant investment, but if liner is part of your daily routine it’s definitely worth it, as this product will last and you’ll love the way it looks.

M.A.C. eyeliner brush

Fluidline in Blacktrack by M.A.C.

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09Jan / 2012

B’s Beauty: Line Up for 24/7 Eyeliner

This is a story of malefactors and heroes.

I used to always have problems with “raccoon eyes”. By the end of the day, half of my mascara had migrated to below my eye and I needed some serious Q-tip and concealer action to sort out the wreckage. For years I’d vilified the mascara, but the real perpetrator was…dun dun DUUUN…my eyeliner.

About three years ago I walked into John Lewis’s makeup hall looking for a fail-safe black liquid liner. One of the girls working at a designer brand kiosk (I won’t say which) whispered to me that honestly, I was better off saving my £35 and instead should buy a drugstore brand, like Rimmel or Max Factor. So I did. And for years I thought I was happy.

But then I found “Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner”. I’d not used a lot of Urban Decay products before, but after falling for this one, I’m certainly willing to give others a try. I was looking for a liquid liner with a seriously thin brush—think ’90s Calista Flockhart—and after some Googling I came across this product. I headed to Oxford Street and the rest is history. After a few days of far fewer touchups, I realised that all these years it’s been my cheap eyeliner running, not my mascara.

Who needs Sherlock Holmes? Thank you, Urban Decay: mystery solved.

I’ve only tried the black but it comes in lots of fun-looking colours—it’s only £14, so go on, try a few.

Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Liner

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07Jan / 2012

B’s Beauty: Le Bonne Arbonne

There are few things better than walking into a store and finding everything you need—and then some. What is better, however, is not even having to walk into that store, let alone extracting yourself from that dent you’ve created in the couch.

That’s where Arbonne comes in. From vitamins to shampoos, if you want it, they sell it. Don’t let the prices hold you back; it is a bit more expensive than your basic drugstore product, but that’s because this isn’t Boots. Quality does come with a price, but it also means a little goes a long way. As with most quality investments, you’re better off in the long run.

Exfoliating New Cell Scrub

What sets Arbonne apart from other online retailers (and many other retailers in general), is the quality of the products. All Arbonne’s products are entirely natural and botanical-based. Arbonne’s researchers and scientists in Switzerland (where the company is based) are also constantly innovating and developing new, safe, and effective skin care.

I have tried quite a range of what Arbonne has to offer. My personal favourites are their cleansers, particularly the exfoliants with their small sand-like grains that clean to the core, and the moisturisers.

You can also get involved with the company itself and sell the products to friends and family. We’ll understand if you end up investing the cash you’ve earned right back into the company. It’s hard to resist.

Arbonne Deep Cleansing Mask

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17Oct / 2011

B’s Beauty: Benefit’s new primer: Should I stay or should I go?

Stay Don't Stray

“Stay Don’t Stray” by Benefit Cosmetics has a fairly weighty name with a fairly weighty claim behind it. And honey, it just don’t measure up.

Benefit claims that this product is an eye primer that stops makeup, particularly eye shadow, from moving and creasing and promises that once you use it, you’ll wonder how you survived without it. I’m going to start with what I like about this product because it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s nice to work with, and the thick cream can double as a concealer. It also works well as an undereye illuminator/brightener.

As for what I don’t like: it doesn’t really work. And at £19.50, well, that’s just not OK. I always struggle with midday mascara shadows and I hoped that this would prove the solution, but alas, no. And to make matters worse, I find that the product itself creates the very eyelid creases it’s meant to be fighting! Also, they’ve got it all wrong with the dispenser. Benefit definitely seems to pride itself on quirky and innovative packaging, but I think this one missed the market research phase. The pump always dispenses way too much product and it ends up in a goopy mess on your finger, the container, and in my case (someh0w) the bedroom wall.

Benefit makes a lot of great products, but you can’t win em’ all.

Benefit's Stay Don't Stray

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03Oct / 2011

B’s Beauty: Girl-Crush of the Day: Lisa Eldridge

Ever wondered how the makeup pros do it? Those smoky eyes, the porcelain complexions? Well, now you can see the looks and get the skills—virtually! A friend recently asked me if I had ever watched any of professional makeup artist Lisa Elridge’s videos. Yes, Elridge sounds like she should be singing at Lilith Fair, but don’t hold that against her. This woman is amazing. Her videos are incredibly high quality and professional. They’re easy to follow, easy to copy, and she provides an easily navigible roundup of all the products at the end. And she uses a great range of drug store and designer products. Bring on the autodidacticism!

The only drawback: she uses a lot—and I mean a lot—of different products. Most people would go broke trying to recreate all of these looks. But generally it’s more the overall idea and the technique that I feel are the important lessons. So, exhale—you don’t need to rush out to Sephora and buy everything in sight.

Lisa Eldridge

www.lisaeldridge.com

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18Sep / 2011

B’s Beauty: Maybelline Great [Awesome, Brilliant] Lash

You don’t get to be the world’s best-selling waterproof mascara for nothing. Although Benefit’s “they’re Real” is the best high-end mascara I’ve ever used, Maybelline Great Lash is pretty darn excellent for £5.19. I switch mascaras all the time, always thinking there’s something bigger and better out there. R. got me a mascara “Lash Stash” sampler kit from Sephora for Christmas one year, which made for a very happy holiday and beyond.

Though a run of one-week stands can be lots of fun, most of us are looking for The One. A few months ago I decided I had had it with designer mascaras that put me out £20-30 a pop, and resolved to go back to my roots. Sure, I made a lot of bad beauty choices in the ’90s, but surely I had gotten a few things right, right? So I bought Great Lash, and oh, how the memories came flooding back. After that onslaught of nostalgia, I realized that I should have stuck with Great Lash all along.

“Experts” (and common sense) say you should toss your mascara every few months because bacteria can begin to grow inside the tube (dark, moist—the perfect habitat). If you’re buying bank-breaking designer mascara every three months, you can see how it adds up. For an easy, inexpensive, everyday fix, I think you’ll find that you’ve got a friend in Maybelline’s Great Lash.

Mabelline Great Lash

http://www.boots.com/en/Maybelline-Great-Lash-Mascara_6005/

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15Sep / 2011

B’s Beauty: Love It / Loathe It

Dichotomies are useful sometimes. Like in this new series! And in Derridean deconstruction. But that’s another post.

Over the next few days I’m going to run through my favorite products, as well as delineating a toxic/steer clear zone. Some products just ain’t what they say they are!

LOVE IT:

Q-tips (or “cotton buds” as they’re called in England). I am literally obsessed with Q-tips. I keep them in my purse, in my makeup bag, in my desk, if I’m going out of town for one day or one month—I have Q-tips. They can do anything! They’re the simplest and cleanest way to freshen up. I often get a dull shadow of mascara and/or eyeliner under my eyes as the day wears on (I’m an eye rubber. Hey, that could have been “rubber,” OK?). Just a simple swipe can give the illusion that I’ve put on a fresh face of makeup. It’s even better if you have some concealer (such as Benefit’s “Erase Paste“) to use afterwards. Q-tips can get water out of your ears (which drives me crazy)! And although my mother always told me you shouldn’t put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear, I’m sure you’ll be careful (or else I’ll tell my mom!). Q-tips are also great for tons of non-makeup-related functions, such as cleaning your keyboard after it is mysteriously full of food after you insist on eating three meals a day over it. The ketchup of beauty products, Q-tips go with everything.

Q-tips

LOATHE IT:

Non-quilted Cotton pad! ARGH! Always go for the textured ones. They have more clout when removing dirt and makeup as they are far more substantial. I have often found that the plain cotton pads—especially if you’re trying to remove stubborn mascara—rip or stretch or fuzz, or even worse, all three. When using non-ridged pads with toner I find that the slightest error in judgment results in the world’s soggiest cotton pad: sopping, drowned and useless.

Cotton beauty pads

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11Sep / 2011

R’s Beauty: Benefit’s "they’re Real!" Mascara: Superhero Lashes

I just saw “Captain America,” a nostalgic yarn about a puny kid with a big heart who, out of love for his country (guess which one!), submits himself to a super-sciencey experiment that transforms him into a smokin’ hot superhero hunk-o’-man. And then he goes and valiantly kills a bunch of über-Nazis.

And here’s where my analogy comes in. Do bear with me.

Benefit’s “they’re Real!” mascara is kinda like that super-sciencey experiment in a tube, minus the sparks and the dials and the “70%!…80%!…We’re up to 90%, sir!!” My eyelashes are kinda like that gangly kid: they may be pale and weak, but somewhere deep down they’re super. Submit them to 100% “they’re Real!” mascara and BAM!—they need their own spandex tights. Major curl, magnificent length, glorious thickness, ace jet-blackness: more power to ya.

While it’s unlikely that my eyelashes alone could vanquish big-dreaming evildoers, their beefed-up beauty might distract those baddies long enough for me to save the world.

In the UK, “they’re Real!” retails for £18.50, which ain’t cheap. It is, however, a small price to pay for super.